Adjustable width crane supporting structure

ABSTRACT

A device for supporting a crane comprises a crane mounting base which is supported on longitudinal support beams arranged on each side of the base. Each longitudinal support means carries at least one, and preferably two, longitudinally spaced transverse members which are in telescopic engagement with tubular portions of the mounting base and each longitudinal support beam includes an opening to permit the outer end of the transverse member which is secured to the opposite longitudinal support beam to pass therethrough in order to permit the two longitudinal support beams to be moved to a minimum width position in close proximity to the supporting base. The longitudinal support beams are movable inwardly and outwardly in respect to the support base by fluid pressure operated drive motors in the form of a fluid pressure cylinder and piston combination arranged on each side of the mounting base.

United States Patent (191 Gorl et al.

[111 3,791,530 Feb. 12, 1974 ADJUSTABLE WIDTH CRANE SUPPORTING STRUCTUREPerkins et al. 212/145 X Primary ExaminerEvon Blunk AssistantExaminer-James L. Rowland Attorney, Agent, or Firm-:McGlew and Tuttle[57] ABSTRACT A device for supporting a crane comprises a crane mountingbase which is supported on longitudinal support beams arranged on eachside of the base. Each longitudinal support means carries at least one,and preferably two, longitudinally spaced transverse members which arein telescopic engagement with tubular portions of the mounting base andeach longitudinal support beam includes an opening to permit the outerend of the transverse member which is secured to the oppositelongitudinal support beam to pass therethrough in order to permit thetwo longitudinal support beams to be moved to a minimum width positionin close proximity to the supporting base. The longitudinal supportbeams are movable inwardly and outwardly in respect to the support baseby fluid pressure operated drive motors in the form of a fluidpressurecylinder and piston combination arranged on each side of themounting base.

13 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures /IZM PAIENIED FEB I 21974 SHEET 3 UP 3ADJUSTABLE WIDTH CRANE SUPPORTING STRUCTURE BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates in general tothe construction of cranes and supporting bases therefor and, inparticular, to a new and useful supporting base for a crane whichincludes a supporting base member which is supported between alongitudinal support beam on each side thereof on transversely extendingmembers which are telescopically engaged with the mounting base andwhich may be shifted to facilitate the inward movement of thelongitudinal supporting beams to a minimum width position directlyalongside the mounting base.

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART The present invention is particularlyapplicable for the construction of a crawler crane having an under-.frame connected to the frames of a hoisting part by means of supportingmembers that are transversely displaceable in order to effect anadjustment of the track gauge or width of the support structure. Thereis a general endeaver in the construction of both tracked and wheeledcranes irrespective of whether or not they are mounted to run on railsand of stationary cranes as well to keep the width thereof as small aspossible when they are transported. For rail transportation as well asfor road transportation, it is necessary that such cranes be designed sothat they may be transported when their parts are retracted inwardly toa minimum width which must not be exceeded. On the other hand, it isnecessary that such cranes be designed with supporting bases which maybeextendable transversely or laterally to provide a maximum groundsupporting area.

It is known to. provide a construction in which the width of cranes areadjusted, for example, by constructing the frames of the hoisting partso that they can be moved laterally on telescopic supports so that thedistance between the ground supports may be adjusted by means ofintermediate pieces of different lengths. The known constructions havedisadvantages inasmuch as the width of a crane can only by adjusted bylaborious and time-consuming operations of inserting and removingintermediate pieces and, because of the design limitations, thedifferences between the minimum and maximum width of the crane isrelatively small. This means that the maximum width is generallyinsufficient for the stability of the crane under peak loadingconditions and security must be obtained by additional base elementsadapted to be laterally drawn out.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION maybe moved inwardly adjacent themount'ing'baseto provide for a'minimum width for transportation purposes, or movedoutwardly away from the mounting base, to provide a maximum'groundsupporting .position. The construction is such' that the supportingbeams can be adjusted so that the maximum adjustable width ensures, evenunder maximum possible loading conditions, the stability of the craneand without rcquiring additional supporting elements and, at the sametime, the minimum adjustable width ensures that the device is suitablefor an unimcumbered transport on the streets or on railroadslForstationary cranes, the structure makes it possible to enlarge thesustaining base of the crane in axial directions of the supportingstructure.

In one arrangement of the invention, the supporting base includes atubular receiving portion into which each transverse member of tubularform is telescopically received. The longitudinal support membersadvantageously include solid beam members which have openings whichalign with the transverse members so that the ends thereof may passthrough the opening to extend beyond the opposite longitudinal supportbeam when its associated longitudinal support beam is in a minimum widthposition alongside the mounting base. This construction makes itpossible to shift the longitudinal support member on each side relativeto its associated mounting base either outwardly to a maximum positionfor operation, or inwardly to a minimum position for road or railtransportation. The tubular guide members, which are formed on themounting base, comprise hollow transverse supporting members, and theyare advantageously secured to the associated mounting base in the zoneof the longitudinal axis of the base so that the length of thesupporting members and therefore the maximum adjustable width of thedevice can be as great as possible. The fastening means may comprisebrackets, bolts and similar known connecting elements. In order to avoidjamming in the guides when operating on sloping ground, it is useful tomount the tubular guides or supports so that they are articulated topermit pivotal movement thereof.

Devices for locking the transversely extending supporting members invarious extensible positions corresponding to the different widths ofthe crane supporting structure are not necessary provided that the meansfor moving the longitudinal beams comprise a fluid pressure operatedmotor in the form of hydraulic cylinders which are mounted on-each sideof the mounting base which carry piston rod members which engage theassociated longitudinal support beam on each side. The pressure in thecylinders may be maintained in order to prevent unintentional changes ofwidth.

In principle, it is of no'ir nportance whether the transverse guidemembers, guiding the transverse supports, pass through the longitudinalsupporting members, or whether they are located peripherally at thetransverse end surfaces. In addition, the invention can be appliedequally well to all sorts of vehicles whose track gauge should beadjustable. The .crane supporting structure can take various forms and,for example,'-may comprise an automobile undercarriage as the supportingstructure, and the trackgauge of the running parts is made variable foradjusting'the width of the crane. The crane supporting structure mayassume the form of ,an undercarriage having frames that are laterallydisplaceable on transverse supporting beams by means of the hydraulic.cylinders. When the apparatus is applied to a stationary .crane, thelongitudinal supportingbeams are formed by two mutually parallellongitudinal .girders which are supported on'the ground byverticallyadjustable supporting shoes which are carried at each end thereof. Inthe preferred form, the length of the longitudinal girders or supportbeams can be telescopically adjusted.

An especially important advantage of the invention is the fact that thelongitudinal supporting members of the crane supporting structure can bereplaced by other members. Consequently, it is possible, in a relativelyshort time, to change a crawler crane into a stationary or railboundcrane. In respect to stationary cranes, there is the further advantagethat the base thereof can be enlarged in the direction of thelongitudinal axis by replacing the longitudinal girders by longer ones.The positioning of the supporting shoes in this direction is no longerlimited as it is, for example, with mobile or automobile undercarriagesfor reasons of construction.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a supportingdevice for a crane which comprises a crane mounting base with alongitudinal support beam on each side thereof which carries atransverse member which extends into telescopic engagement with themounting base and which may be shifted inwardly and outwardly by a drivemember, and wherein, the transverse support members and the longitudinalsupport beams are constructed to permit the transverse members to passbeyond the opposite support member when the longitudinal support membersare retracted inwardly toward the mounting base to a minimum widthposition.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device for supportinga crane which is simple in design, rugged in construction, andeconomical to manufacture.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention arepointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming apart of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention,its operating advantages, and specific objects attained by itsapplication, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings anddescriptive matter in which there is illustrated a preferred embodimentof the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a transportable stationary craneconstructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with the longitudinal supportingbeams arranged in a minimum width position withdrawn toward the centralmounting base;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the supporting structure shown inFIG. 1; I

FIG. 4 is a section taken along the line IVIV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a section taken along the line V--V of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial horizontal section taken along the lineVI-'-VI of FIG. 3 with only one of the longitudinal supporting beamsbeing extended.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to thedrawings in particular, the invention embodied therein, comprises adevice for supporting an apparatus such as a crane which includes acentral frame or crane mounting base I, having an upstanding base column20, with a gear portion 22 for a crane rotatable drive (not shown). Alongitudinal supporting beam 16, 16 are arranged at respective sides ofthe mounting base 10, and each carries two longitudinally spaced andtransversely extending transverse members 2, 2 and 2a, 2a, respectively.The supporting beams 16 and 16' are of rectangular hollow tubeconstruction, and they are supported at each end on upstanding feet 17,17, which for stationary cranes include groundengaging bases 18 butwhichmay, of course, comprise carriages for wheeled movement over the ground.

In accordance with the invention, each transverse member istelescopically engageable with the central frame or mounting base 1 and,in the embodiment shown, the mounting base 1 is provided with either afixed or an articulated tubular part 5 which is hollow to receive atubular transverse member 2, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The transversetubular member 2 may also extend through an opening 4 which is alignedtherewith and which is provided on the longitudinal supporting beam 16'when the longitudinal supporting beam 16 is drawn in to a narrow widthposition alongside a mounting base 1, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

Motor means in the form of a fluid pressure operated piston and cylindercombination 7 and 7 are provided on respective opposite sides of themounting base 1 and they are articulated to the respective longitudinalsupporting beams 16 and 16' and may move them either inwardly oroutwardly in respect to the mounting base In order to effect anadjustment in width of the crane supporting structure, two hydraulicallyoperated piston and cylinder combinations 7 are provided to shift thesupporting beams 16 and 16' either inwardly or outwardly. As shown inFIG. 6, each supporting beam member 16 and 16' may be independentlymoved, for example, the supporting member 16 is shown in the innermostor narrow width position, whereas the other supporting beam 16 is shownextended.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed in detail to illustrate the application of the principles ofthe invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodiedotherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

I. A device for supporting a crane comprising a crane mounting base, alongitudinal supporting beam on' each side of said base, twolongitudinally spaced laterally extending transverse members connectedto each longitudinal supporting beam and telescopically engaged withsaid mounting base, said transverse members of one longitudinalsupporting beam-being longitudinally offset from the transverse membersof the other longitudinal supporting beam, said longitudinal supportingbeams each having an opening aligned with a respective transverse memberof the other longitudinal supporting beam so that the aligned transversemember may enter through the opening and pass beyond the side of saidopposite longitudinal supporting member when said longitudinalsupporting beams are moved together, and means carried on said base forshifting said longitudinal support beams inwardly and outwardly inrespect to said base.

2. A device for supporting a crane comprising a crane mounting base, alongitudinal'support beam on each side of said base, a transverse membersecured to each longitudinal support beam and telescopically engagedwith said mounting base, each longitudinal member being formed with anopening to permit passage of the transverse member secured to therespective opposite longitudinal member up to and laterally beyond thelongitudinal member to permit said longitudinal members to be shiftedinwardly to a minimum width position adjacent said base, and meanscarried on said base for shifting said longitudinal members inwardly andoutwardly in respect to said base.

3. A device for supporting a crane, according to claim 2, wherein saidmounting base includes a tubular guide portion for telescopicallyengaging each respective transverse member, said, transverse memberbeing slidable in said tubular guide member.

4. A device for supporting a crane, according to claim 2, wherein saidtransverse supporting beams are hollow for receiving said base member.

5. A device for supporting a crane, according to claim 2, wherein thereare at least two longitudinally spaced laterally extending transversemembers on each longitudinal supporting beam, all of said transversemembers being longitudinally offset, said longitudinal supportingmembers each having an opening aligned with a respective transversemember of the opposite supporting beam to permit said transverse memberto enter through the opening and pass beyond the side of said oppositelongitudinal supporting member.

6. A device for supporting a crane, according to claim 2, includingmeans mounting said transverse members to an associated longitudinalmember on a side thereof.

7. A device for supporting a crane, according to claim 2, wherein saidbase member includes a tubular member for receiving each transversemember which is articulated -to said base member.

8. A device for supporting a crane, according to claim 2, wherein saidmeans for displacing said longitudinal members toward and away from saidbase member comprises a fluid pressure operated piston and cylindercombination connected between said base member in each of saidlongitudinal support members.

9. A device for supporting a crane, according to claim 2, wherein saidlongitudinal supporting members comprise a wheeled undercarriage.

10. A device for supporting a crane, according to claim 2, wherein saidlongitudinal supporting members comprise a running gear frame, saidmeans for shifting said longitudinal support members comprising ahydraulic cylinder connected to said mounting base, a piston rod membershiftable in said cylinder and connected to each longitudinal supportingbeam.

11. A device for supporting a crane, according to claim 2, wherein saidlongitudinal supporting members comprise two laterally spacedsubstantially parallel longitudinal beams, and a supporting standconnected to each end of each of said longitudinal supporting members.

12. A device for supporting a crane, according to claim 11, wherein saidbeams are telescopically extensible. I

13. A device for supporting a crane, according to claim 11, wherein saidsupporting bases are vertically adjustable in height.

1. A device for supporting a crane comprising a crane mounting base, alongitudinal supporting beam on each side of said base, twolongitudinally spaced laterally extending transverse members connectedto each longitudinal supporting beam and telescopically engaged withsaid mounting base, said transverse members of one longitudinalsupporting beam being longitudinally offset from the transverse membersof the other longitudinal supporting beam, said longitudinal supportingbeams each having an opening aligned with a respective transverse memberof the other longitudinal supporting beam so that the aligned transversemember may enter through the opening and pass beyond the side of saidopposite longitudinal supporting member when said longitudinalsupporting beams are moved together, and means carried on said base forshifting said longitudinal support beams inwardly and outwardly inrespect to said base.
 2. A device for supporting a crane comprising acrane mounting base, a longitudinal support beam on each side of saidbase, a transverse member secured to each longitudinal support beam andtelescopically engaged with said mounting base, each longitudinal memberbeing formed with an opening to permit passage of the transverse membersecured to the respective opposite longitudinal member up to andlaterally beyond the longitudinal member to permit said longitudinalmembers to be shifted inwardly to a minimum width position adjacent saidbase, and means carried on said base for shifting said longitudinalmembers inwardly and outwardly in respect to said base.
 3. A device forsupporting a crane, according to claim 2, wherein said mounting baseincludes a tubular guide portion for telescopically engaging eachrespective transverse member, said transverse member being slidable insaid tubular guide member.
 4. A device for supporting a crane, accordingto claim 2, wherein said transverse supporting beams are hollow forreceiving said base member.
 5. A device for supporting a crane,according to claim 2, wherein there are at least two longitudinallyspaced laterally extending transverse members on each longitudinalsupporting beam, all of said transverse members being longitudinallyoffset, said longitudinal supporting members each having an openingaligned with a respective transverse member of the opposite supportingbeam to permit said transVerse member to enter through the opening andpass beyond the side of said opposite longitudinal supporting member. 6.A device for supporting a crane, according to claim 2, including meansmounting said transverse members to an associated longitudinal member ona side thereof.
 7. A device for supporting a crane, according to claim2, wherein said base member includes a tubular member for receiving eachtransverse member which is articulated to said base member.
 8. A devicefor supporting a crane, according to claim 2, wherein said means fordisplacing said longitudinal members toward and away from said basemember comprises a fluid pressure operated piston and cylindercombination connected between said base member in each of saidlongitudinal support members.
 9. A device for supporting a crane,according to claim 2, wherein said longitudinal supporting memberscomprise a wheeled undercarriage.
 10. A device for supporting a crane,according to claim 2, wherein said longitudinal supporting memberscomprise a running gear frame, said means for shifting said longitudinalsupport members comprising a hydraulic cylinder connected to saidmounting base, a piston rod member shiftable in said cylinder andconnected to each longitudinal supporting beam.
 11. A device forsupporting a crane, according to claim 2, wherein said longitudinalsupporting members comprise two laterally spaced substantially parallellongitudinal beams, and a supporting stand connected to each end of eachof said longitudinal supporting members.
 12. A device for supporting acrane, according to claim 11, wherein said beams are telescopicallyextensible.
 13. A device for supporting a crane, according to claim 11,wherein said supporting bases are vertically adjustable in height.